title: Potentially preventable complications of urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia, and delirium in hospitalised dementia patients: retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify rates of potentially preventable complications for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort design using hospital discharge data for dementia patients, case matched on sex, age, comorbidity and surgical status on a 1 : 4 ratio to non-dementia patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Public hospital discharge data from the state of New South Wales, Australia for 2006/2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  426 276 overnight hospital episodes for patients aged 50 and above (census sample).
  
  
  METHODS
  Rates of preventable complications, with episode-level risk adjustment for 12 complications that are known to be sensitive to nursing care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for age and comorbidities, surgical dementia patients had higher rates than non-dementia patients in seven of the 12 complications: urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, delirium, pneumonia, physiological and metabolic derangement (all at p<0.0001), sepsis and failure to rescue (at p<0.05). Medical dementia patients also had higher rates of these complications than did non-dementia patients. The highest rates and highest relative risk for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients, in both medical and surgical populations, were found in four common complications: urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia and delirium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with non-dementia patients, hospitalised dementia patients have higher rates of potentially preventable complications that might be responsive to nursing interventions.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Kasia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bail
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grealish
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karmel
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peut
keywords: Health Services Administration & Management